Halftime speeches can be inspirational. They can also be a little fiery.
That was the case Friday night, as Cave Spring responded from a somewhat lethargic first half to topple Blacksburg 64-44 in a River Ridge matchup at the Knights’ gym.
“Let’s say I got their attention at halftime,” Cave Spring head coach Billy Hicks said afterward. “We got off to a slow start and Blacksburg was beating us to rebounds. Princeton coach Pete Carril once said ‘the greater distance you live from the poor side of the railroad tracks, the less likely you’ll be a good rebounder’. We don’t have any kids who live near railroad tracks.”
Blacksburg was getting the majority of loose balls in the early going before the taller Knights picked up the pressure to go to the halftime break up 25-18.
Hicks’ halftime speech was taken to heart by his squad and the Knights responded after intermission.
Blacksburg did not score its first points of the second half until nearly midway through third quarter, and Cave Spring was in control 42-24 heading to the final 8 minutes.
“We played much better in the second half,” Hicks added. “That kind of start (in the opening half) is typical of a young, inexperienced team.”
The Cave Spring lead reached 23 points late in the final quarter, with both teams running the court at will.
“Cave Spring had the size, but our guys kept fighting and played hard,” Bruin head coach Doug Day noted. Blacksburg, which fell to 1-10 and has had height on its side in recent years, is finding some vertical challenges with this year’s team.
“We’re making adjustments and taking it one game at a time,” Day added. “It doesn’t get easier in the River Ridge; Monday night we play at Patrick Henry.”
Cave Spring, which saw Zac Foutz return to the starting lineup for the first time this season and score 7 points, had balanced scoring from the other starters. Adam Sledd led the Knight scoring with 16 points, Cager Hicks followed with 11, while Brody Hicks and Alex Emery each added 10 for Cave Spring.
Junior Grayson Shelton had a game-high 20 points for Blacksburg, with Will Murray completing the Bruins in double figures, scoring 11.
– Bill Turner